Fierna (3.5e Deity)

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New Phlegethos: A demirealm created in the early throes of Fierna's godly powers. New Phlegethos is a stark contrast to the fiery hell of true Phlegethos, although rivers of lava and gouts of flame still occasionally break the surface. However, much of the realm is dominated by hauntingly beautiful forests filled with red trees and grass and mountain ranges that occasionally rupture and spit out flaming meteors. New Phlegethos has a finite space although it is much larger than the fourth layer in which it is named. Fierna's palace sits in the center and the land immediately surrounding it is populated by the millions of dead cultists who have worshipped and remained loyal to Fierna throughout the eons. This tremendous city, named Lao, is a hedonistic paradise. Because its populace is all dead, nothing in the way of economy exists here; food and pleasure are all magically supplied by their goddess and each citizen spends his or her day having sex, engaging in debauchery, singing Fierna's praises, and eating food but never getting fat.

Fierna, former Archduchess of Hell and ruler of Phlegethos, recently ascended to a position of lesser godhood through guile, a massive but secret cult following on the Material Plane, and the culmination of eons of trickery and slavery at the heels of her "superiors." Most of the other Archdevil's saw little in Fierna, believing her to be nothing but a "party girl" who hadn't yet taken her position as a Ruler of the Nine Hells seriously. Belial - the supposed true ruler of Phlegethos - enforced his power secretly behind the mantle of his daughter. Belial secretly worried that Fierna had aspirations to be more than just the face of the throne, and Belial himself believed he had all of the archdevils fooled; Asmodeus knew the truth but cared little, seeing neither Belial or his daughter as any threat worth exercising caution over.

Fierna, however, had set in motion a chain of events that would bestow upon her the spark of godhood. Her ascension had been carefully researched and prepared by generations of worshippers on the several planes, though only one cult leader at any given time knew the truth; that leader instructed his fellow cultists but was sworn on pain of eternal torture never to reveal to them what they were working on. Needless to say it worked, and when Fierna felt the flood of deific might explode within her, she obliterated the fourth layer of Hell and escaped with a cacophony of malicious laughter. Belial was killed in the blast as were innumerable lesser devils. Of course, the explosion rocked the very foundation of Hell and the aftereffects caused irreparable damage to the third layer, where Mammon resided. When the truth was revealed, none were shaken more than Mephistopheles and Asmodeus, both of whom cursed Fierna's name in a thousand different tongues. Not only had she fooled them for thousands of years but she had achieved something they had been striving for millennia longer than she had even been alive. Needless to say, the humiliation will be felt for a great deal of time to come.

Fierna is an open and accepting deity because she knows her godhood is young and limited, so she welcomes a large grouping of beings into her lustful embrace. Fierna prefers charismatic youth who can spread her gospel, but so long as the prospect is evil and willing to follow a life of careless lust, they will be welcomed.

Fierna's priests are generally women who dress like their goddess; leather bodices and sheer stockings, although many wear nothing at all. Ritualistic scarring, tattoos and piercings are also commonplace, as Fierna (though possessing none herself) sees such body art as both beautiful and as a sign of commitment. Temples to Fierna are generally small and operated out of a secret network of homes and abandoned churches to another god (deities of good are especially venerated as Fierna sees it as a slap in their holy faces).